Reports, research, further reading

There is a substantial number of research, government and media reports, case studies and plenty of anecdotal evidence showing how boarding school placements have helped vulnerable young people across the 40 years when most of this activity has been initiated by charities, rather than by central or local government. The diverse reports in this section help to identify the issues and challenges of boarding school placements. These reports do not necessarily represent the views of the Department for Education or our partner charities and boarding schools, except when explictly stated.

The Royal National Children’s Foundation conducted research in 2006 to assess the impact of its own support for vulnerable young people at boarding school. The research was conducted among 97 of RNCF’s beneficiaries aged 15-18. Two-thirds of these young people had single-parent mothers and there was an almost even gender split.

In 2016, 64% of the children supported by Buttle UK at boarding school achieved 5 or more GCSEs at grades A* - C. This compared to 19% for those assessed as Children in Need nationally in 2015. In addition, Buttle asserted that the young people it supported go on to further and higher education, and report increased self-esteem and life-long friendships.

RESEARCH: Pathfinder research, on behalf of the Department for Education (2009)

A relatively comprehensive research study was conducted in 2009, as part of the the then Department for Children, Schools and Families’ Pathfinder project (a predecessor of Boarding School Partnerships). The research was conducted over a short period with a small number of boarding placements and has been criticised for these reasons. But it does provide valuable insights into the whole process of assisted boarding.